Panic/Bug Out Room

If you cared enough to look at my profile or to the left, you'll note that I live (regretably) in Virginia. In this wonderful (sarcasm) Commonwealth, there is no such thing as a Castle Clause. Meaning, if someone were to break into my house, I cannot shoot them, I have to try and flee. it is only when I have exhausted all my avenues of escaping, can I shoot the intruder...

Now, I may have simplized the rules a bit, but that the jiyst of it. Here's to the point of the thread...

I own a prefab house, and its walls are not the best. I have a walk in closet that would make a nice gun safe/panic room, but how would one, without spending immense ammount of cash, turn this into one? there was a subject about making body armor with cloth and resin, perhaps lining the walls with that and beefing up the door frame and door to have a lock on the inside as well as out...

Has anyone done/thought about doing this? If so, how did you go about it?

its a sad world we live in, isnt it?

as to the panic / bug out room - how would you go on if some criminal maniac broke in and fired the place though?

i would definitely want an emergency exit on an outside wall, i couldnt think of a much worse way to croak than being burnt to death. eek

at the very least i would line it with plasterboard or intumescent paint

"Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidy of man."

Patton

I group panic rooms, especially the kind you describe as such.

reply to post by Onet Wosix



A trap door is an option, but the panic room would give me (or my loved ones) time to collect and assess the situation (not easy to do at three in the morning when Brutus kicks in the door).

reply to post by 35Foxtrot


Well, you are obviously against them... But give no other input as to what you do/recomend either...

reply to post by Jkd Up


I don't know let me think about it. I don't have the duty to retreat where I am so it hasn't been a consideration.

I guess just off the top of my mind. Be able to articulate to the responding officers - and later the judge if it gets that far - that you did everything you could to get away but were trapped (backed into a wall, your kids were stuck in their room, he was between you and the door, whatever - just make it good and make sure the scene matches what you tell them) before you offed him. It's your house. Based on my experience with law enforcement, if you give them a plausible story, they'll go with it since this guy entered your home with bad intent.

Originally posted by Jkd Up
reply to post by Onet Wosix

 

A trap door is an option, but the panic room would give me (or my loved ones) time to collect and assess the situation (not easy to do at three in the morning when Brutus kicks in the door).

yup,a panic room is a good idea - if you get those few extra minutes of safety it could really make the difference between life and death, i dont know the laws where you are, but would you be allowed to keep airsoft flashbangs in the panic room to be able to throw to disorientate your attacker?

could be a cheap option to buy you some time ? maybe something like this...
www.youtube.com...

reply to post by 35Foxtrot


I (luckily) have yet to have this occur, but was looking ahead... I don't want to spend time outa my life and not be able to have my loved weapons in the house due to the fact Mr. Ugly Thief wants to come in and start something and now I'm a felon...

reply to post by Jkd Up


Starred and flagged. Also sorry about the sorry state of affairs in my home state

What are the dimensions of your closet?

reply to post by mydarkpassenger


Looking at 6x12

On your doors you could put those lock bolts. They attach to the bottom of the door
and lock into the floor. Change the glass windows to 3/8 inch Plexiglas.
Make sure your windows have good strong heavy duty locks.

reply to post by 19rn50


No windows... Just a (soon to be) steel door... I plan on having this for a gun vault as well, so there is no reason to let people see what I got...

Good info thought!

reply to post by Jkd Up


That's a nice size indeed! Generally, per person, you can stay in a sealed room five hours for every square foot.

I'd say make sure you replace the (probably) hollow-core door with a solid one, or even better a metal security door, and add a keyless heavy duty dead bolt.

Reinforce the door frame with extra timber and longer screws, and on the inside add two horizontal drop bars about level with the hinges, so that each drops into two heavy brackets mounted on the door, just in case someone takes the pins out of the hinges they still can't get the door open.

By the way, the door needs to be framed so it opens outward, not inward.

Experiment with wall coverings such as 3/4 and 1 inch hvy (dense) particle board and how well they resist bullets with two layers of drywall added - you'd be screwing these panels right on top of the interior drywall.

You might want to use two layers of 1 inch heavy particle board lain over top of the interior drywall, and reinforced with an internal 2x4 frame. This frame would also let you mount a reinforced ceiling attached with hurricane brackets, and thus make the room useful as a severe weather shelter as well.

Not perfect, but gotta be cheaper than steel or kevlar.

3/4" expanded metal might be appropriate in a sandwich with other materials if you expect intrusions via sidewall/floor/ceiling. Lead-lined wallboard is an excellent soundproofing option, but very expensive. Expanded metal is about the same cost as finish grade heavy plywood sheet.

ganjoa

You have to remember that if they find out you are in there, they may try to gain entrance via brute force or firepower to get to you.

Most robbers will be using handguns, so……..quarter inch steel will stop most anything you would see them using.

If it was me, I would back the door with 1/8 or even quarter plate steel. You will have to use heavy duty hinges.

Put plate steel on the walls that face the interior of the house. It doesn’t have to be too the ceiling, just high enough to get above head height. The space between the top of the steel plate and the ceiling will be covered with a metal mesh and plywood.

Or you could use quarter inch plate up to head height and run eighth inch to the ceiling.

If your local salvage yard has a good supply of plate steel scrap, it may not cost that much.

reply to post by Mr Tranny


You can also use gravel in the walls.

reply to post by Jkd Up


I just ordered Joel Skousen's book, The Secure Home, which describes how to "shelter in place" in the event of home invasion or nuclear strike, etc. It contains information on building a safe room, safe closet, or safe basement in an existing house or in a new construction. The book is 700 pages. Can't wait to get it. We are pretty secure here in the sticks and have no such legal constraints but are looking into building an all-around bunker. You can read about the book at his website (joelskousen.com).

Originally posted by GirlGenius
You can also use gravel in the walls.

Yes, but you have to take into account the support the wall has. When you get enough gravel, it starts to get heavy.

Is it setting on a concrete slab or a wood frame floor?

If it is on a wood frame floor, you may have to add extra support in the basement to stop the floor from settling form the weight.

If you are building it on a concrete slab, you could also use a straight concrete wall construction. If you tie it into the floor it would also make a good tornado safe room with an adequate door..

reply to post by Jkd Up


Several years ago, a wealthy friend gave me a tour of his new home. In its abundance was a "safe" room. with a heavy metal door that could be locked from the outside for the safe storage of valuables and from the inside to his family of three to secure themselves within. It had no windows, no other door, a concrete floor with a unknown material--now that I think about it--for the ceiling.

Sounds like the perfect solution for a Virginian: run in there, lock yourself in and...and...hope they leave quietly when finished with whatever business they came about.

In other words, in most homes, high-dollar or budget, a "safe" room is nothing but a self-imposed cell making yourself the mercy of the intruder. You are nicely vacate the rest of the house while they go through it. Your undying fear while in there is that they don't sent the house on fire. And that is the fallacy of most safe rooms.

Understand that a "safe room" is a liberal concept based on the asinine probablity that the intruder is only there to take you jewlry and TV set will eventually leave, and nobody will get hurt, you or the intruder. Afterall, it is only property they are after right, not family rape?.

Regardless of the castle law being recognized or not in your state, you are responsible for yourself and others around you. YOU have to decide the best action to take and be prepared to take the consequences. Don't allow your life to hinge on some liberal interpretation of self defense. Even where we respect that law, most folks aren't trigger happy, their malicious intent should be evident. It happens, but in Texas, we rarely shoot thieves or burgulars in the back as they pocket the family silver.

If your complete house is fireproof from top to bottom, inside and out then a safe room can be just the ticket for a woman or children to flee into. Be aware, however, if the house is not fireproof you may have a walk-in oven there.

Plus, people fail to understand that a modern house is very similar to those paper Japanese houses with paper room dividers. A few kicks to standard half-inch sheetrock walls will give you access to any locked room or closet. .

Originally posted by Aliensun
If your complete house is fireproof from top to bottom, inside and out then a safe room can be just the ticket for a woman or children to flee into. Be aware, however, if the house is not fireproof you may have a walk-in oven there.

The best idea is to have a door to the outside.

That is why I stated that you should have steel plate on the inside walls. The outside walls should be left unprotected. That way you can make egress through the wall via a chopping axe or saw.

You could have steel plate on the outside wall but you want to have it set up where you can easily remove it so you can bust out the outside wall via a chopping axe or saw.